The rapid growth in warehouse merchandizing home centers has considerably increased the demand for employees to stock goods in large volume inventory as part of the point of sale display. The mass merchandizing concepts emphasize minimal handling of goods to expedite inventory turn over but provide accessibility to the consumer for purchasing retail goods. Mass merchandizing requires creative packaging design to minimize retail handling of supplied goods and particularly to assist the retailer with consumer friendly display cartons structurally sound for shipping and stacking, but adaptable to provide an attractive display of goods in the shipping carton at the point of sale. This concept is particularly useful for shipping and displaying upright containers of consumer products which can be exposed for convenient selection by consumers. In essence, the procedure for stacking of cartons in retail space as inventory and then rehandling of the same carton when it emerges as the display carton needs to be simplified.
It now has been found that a structurally sound shipping carton can be received by the retailer and stacked in multiple layers for inventory purposes but then readily converted to a display carton without moving the carton. The shipping display cartons of this invention can be converted to a display carton by a two step procedure where sections of the shipping carton are removed as the carton progresses from a stacked inventory carton to a top display carton in the stack. The multi-step procedure consists of first totally removing the top lid of the shipping carton to produce an opened inventory carton for stacking purposes on the retail floor space. The second step subsequently removes a portion of the front panel of the carton as the beneath carton becomes the top exposed consumer display carton. Removal of part of the front panel provides for consumer viewing of upright orientated brand labeled consumer goods inside the carton.
Each shipping carton contains separation means in the vertical walls of the carton to provide expedient separation and removal of the top lid to convert the shipping carton to an inventory carton while still maintaining the structural integrity of the carton. The separation means can consist of lateral perforations or a lateral tear tape circumventing the shipping carton near the top lid to enable efficient removal of the carton top lid. A set format of perforations located in the front panel of the carton provides a perforated section in the front panel easily removed to expose brand name consumer products inside the carton. The predesignated removal sections eliminate the need for utility knives or other external opening implements.
In accordance with this invention, a retail merchandiser can receive a shipment of cartons from the supplier and progressively remove sections of each carton as needed. The shipping cartons become inventory cartons and can be stacked or displayed in multiple vertical tiers without compromising the structural integrity of each carton regardless of vertical location in the stacking. The stacked inventory cartons maintain the consumer products within the inventory carton protected from dislodging and spills due to inadvertent bumps and knocks from people passing by. As inventory cartons move to primary retailing sell positions within the display, the perforated front panel section can be removed free of the carton to convert the inventory carton into a consumer display carton and provide essentially full view and free access to the goods by the consumer. The zip and pop structural features of the carton enables retailers, especially mass retailers, to receive shipments of cartons structurally sound for stacking but easily adapted for display of the consumer goods within the same carton. Unsafe utility knives are not required and stacked cartons need not be moved again to a point of display. The shipping display carton reduces stock damage and minimizes loss of time due to clean up. These and other advantages will become more apparent by referring to the drawings and detailed description of the invention.